Control
(formerly; deceased) Ross Garrison | title = | family = | residence = | playedby = Camryn Manheim | portrayer2 = | first = | flashback = | latest = }} Control, often addressed as "Ma'am," is the codename used to refer to the head of the ISA's operation regarding the Machine, one of her aliases being Diane Claypool. Character Background 2010 Control meets with Special Counsel in his office to discuss a laptop that was used by runaway programmer Daniel Casey to hack into the Machine. Control orders Special Counsel to eliminate the laptop along with CIA agents John Reese and Kara Stanton in Ordos, China. Control later meets with Special Counsel for reports on whether the ISA assassin they sent out to kill the buyers of the laptop from Rick Dillinger had succeeded. Special Counsel reports that one of the buyers escaped but Control isn't worried. Special Counsel, however, adds that the assassin appparently said that if she was sent sooner, she'd have "killed them all". 2013 Control calls Special Counsel and Hersh after they find out that the Machine has moved itself to a new unknown location. She gives Hersh the order to "seal the room", meaning to kill everyone present, including Special Counsel. She is later seen sitting in a black town car, perusing a file named "Memorandum for Control - Department recruitment status 2012-2013" when Hersh meets her in her car and tells her that Research has made contact about a new number. She tells him to get a team ready. While searching psychiatric facilities for Root, Hersh calls Control to check in with her and confirm some information. Former software engineer Arthur Claypool is diagnosed with a brain tumor that affects his memory. Control acts as Diane, a woman who claims to be his wife, and goes to visit him at the hospital. Arthur does not recognize her and tells her to leave his room. Sameen Shaw, who is posing as a doctor at the hospital, goes to comfort a very upset Diane, who explains how saddening it is to have someone she's loved and lived with for twenty years forget who she is. Shaw and Harold Finch, both of whom are protecting Arthur after the Machine provides his number, take Arthur and Diane with them to a safe house. Finch, who has prepared aliases for the two of them, talks with Arthur about Samaritan, a code name for a project he was working on. Finch then talks with Shaw about how Arthur frequently implied the creation of the Machine in his explanation, just as Arthur begins to forget things he learned earlier. Finch reminds Arthur who he and Diane are, and Arthur suddenly remembers that Diane is dead and that he buried her two years ago. Suddenly, "Diane" speaks into her watch the word "go" and agents pour into the room. Shaw tries to fight them off but is overpowered, and Hersh and his men come in and hold Shaw, Finch and Arthur at gunpoint. Control reveals herself to a stunned audience and then tells them that Samaritan was not canceled and in fact exists, and that she wants to know where it is. She tells Finch that she also wants to know the location of the Machine. She pulls out a gun she had concealed and coldly declares that whoever tells her the location of their system first - Finch or Arthur - will be the one who stays alive. Control asks Finch and Arthur where Samaritan is, and Finch insists that the project was shut down. Control holds her gun to Arthur, who tries his best to remember - but to no avail. She then leans over to Shaw and says that she enjoyed watching her work before ordering Hersh to kill them all. Root suddenly bursts in and shoots at the men, allowing Finch, Arthur and Shaw to escape. Hersh shoots Root in the arm and she is captured; Hersh pursues the other three while Control prepares to meet with Root. Root is brought to a cell inside a government facility, where Control sits down with her and asks her how to access the Machine. Root continues on with taunting retorts at Control, prompting Control to pull out a bag of syringes. She injects a barbiturate into Root's right arm to put her to sleep, and then an amphetamine in her left arm to wake her up. Control explains the process to Root, saying that it's an interrogation method one can withstand for only so long before their heart explodes. She reveals countless other syringes and proceeds to repeat the process until Root gives in. As night falls, the interrogation has continued to go on, and Root screams in agony, unable to take much more. Control claims that Root can make it all stop if she shows how to access the Machine. Root finally gives in and reveals that she is in fact the Machine's interface, saying that only she can communicate with it. Control brings in a phone upon Root's request, but Root says that she is acting on the Machine's behalf - Control is surprised as to why Root considers the Machine a superior force, but Root claims it is far greater. Control figures the only way to permanently halt Root's communication with the Machine is to do it physically, and explains how a person's ear will be useless if the Stapes bone is removed or damaged. She goes on to perform a Stapedectomy on Root without anesthesia. Root is now deaf on her right ear - she reveals to Control that the Machine has been giving her Morse code messages from the phone Control brought in earlier, giving Root essential information, and has also somehow "disabled" Control's guards, who are lying on the floor, unconscious. Root says that she knows Control brought a knife with her because she is scared of Root, and that Root was able to pickpocket it when Control came close by to perform surgery on her ear. Root also says that Control brought a scalpel along - something Root figures is "a fair fight" - before she lunges at Control (having cut her bonds with the knife) and holds it to her head. Root asks the Machine what to do with Control - she then reveals information the Machine gave her on Control. A visibly frightened Control asks Root what she wants, and Root, voicing the mind of the Machine, ominously recites to Control: "do not pursue me or my agents - I'm trying to save you." Control asks what the Machine is trying to save her from, and Root laughs, saying, "isn't she the best?" referring to the Machine. Control's fate is first left unknown but later it is revealed that she is alive and well. However, Vigilance finds a black budget report revealing that Northern Lights exists and at the end of the episode she decided to shut down the government's operations and destroys Vigilance's file. Victims * Nathan Ingram: killed under the guise of a terrorist bombing on her orders * Kara Stanton: injured in a bombing that she ordered * John Reese: injured in a bombing that she ordered * Harold Finch: severely injured in the ferry bombing; survived ; Held at gunpoint; escaped * Asif: suicide bomber forced to detonate the ferry bomb that killed Ingram and injured Finch * Daniel Aquino and the engineers that helped reassemble The Machine: killed by Sameen Shaw under her and Special Counsel's orders to protect the secrecy of the Machine * Michael Cole: killed by Wilson's team on her and Special Counsel's orders * Sameen Shaw: targeted by Wilson's team on her and Special Counsel's orders; survived Held at gunpoint and prepared to execute; escaped * Unnamed engineer where the Machine was located: shot once in the chest by Hersh on her orders * Special Counsel: shot once in the chest by Hersh on her orders * Arthur Claypool: held at gunpoint; escaped * Root: tortured, interrogated and deafened in an ear; escaped Note: the ferry bombing included multiple additional unnamed victims. Trivia *In interviews, Michael Emerson and Sarah Shahi had referred to the character as "Mrs. Penn", which was a working name until the character was named. She was described as in her 50's, intelligent and unafraid of danger, but with a sense of humor. *Control is depicted with a yellow box during her first appearance, but as of "Lethe", she is depicted with a red box. *At San Diego Comic-Con, creator and Executive Producer Jonathan Nolan confirmed she is Control, but did not provide any further details about her. Appearances Season 2 * Season 3 * * * * * * es:Control Category:Characters Category:Characters with Yellow Box Category:Female Characters Category:U.S. Government Category:Recurring Characters Category:Characters with Red Box Category:Antagonists Category:Persons of Interest Category:Season 3 Recurring Characters